


it's amazing that your love was mine

by natsugumi



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Sexuality Crisis, in a bro kind of way, taichi thinks hes straight everyone knows hes not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:48:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23731096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natsugumi/pseuds/natsugumi
Summary: Taichi has never heard back from his soulmate. Tenma has never written to his. It takes them a while to connect the dots.
Relationships: Nanao Taichi/Sumeragi Tenma
Comments: 21
Kudos: 139





	it's amazing that your love was mine

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from janelle monae's oh, maker!  
> i want to preface this by saying that i turned this into my teacher for a project. so that's where my life is right now. if you're seeing this hi mrs m  
> special thanks to an and prince for reading over this ily its a lot different from when yall looked at it i think but i think. that's for the better
> 
>  **tw suicide** taichi makes a passing joke about jumping off of the balcony. it's for two lines and he doesn't act on it, but jic, here is a warning ^^"
> 
> make sure you have the style on for this or else itll be Very confusing as to whose message is whose!

In his seventeen years of life, Taichi Nanao has never heard back from his soulmate.

It’s not that he doesn’t have one. Sometimes in school, the part of his hand that would rub against his notebook as he’s writing gets stains in a color of ink different from his pen. On rare occasions, she’ll write down directions to places on the back of her hand. That’s how he found out that she lives in his city and goes to his school. Throughout the years, it’s never been silent, but nothing has ever been directed at him.

While walking to school together one morning, Taichi decides to unload this all onto his friend and rival, Tenma Sumeragi.

“—She goes to our school, Ten-chan!” Taichi excitedly exclaims as he finishes summarizing his situation. The cool autumn breeze blows against them as the two walk, matching his enthusiasm. “It’s only a matter of time before I meet her.”

Tenma winces as he crunches a dead leaf under his foot. “Are you sure she wants to meet you?” he asks. “If she’s never written back, then…”

“I’m sure she has her reasons!” Taichi chirps. “But that’s enough about me. What about you, Ten-chan?”

Tenma furrows his eyebrows. “What about me?”

“You know!” Taichi gestures wildly. “Your soulmate! What’s she like?”

Tenma flinches. He looks around frantically. There’s a handful of other students walking to school around the duo, most of them distracted by their phones or by talking to their own companions. There isn’t a single sign of journalists anywhere, but Tenma still whispers, “He—...I mean, I. I’m a celebrity. You know I can’t talk about this sort of stuff in public.” He rubs the back of his neck. “Remind me later at the dorms.”

“Oh!” Taichi blushes. “Yeah, yeah.”

Tenma coughs into his fist.

There’s a weird pause that follows, and it scratches at Taichi’s skin, so he asks, “How often do you write to your soulmate, Ten-chan? I’ve never seen any writing on you.”

“Didn’t I just say not to ask me about that stuff outside?!” Tenma barks. “And, well…” He looks down.

“‘Well’ what?” Taichi bends down to look at his friend’s face. He looks...guilty?

“I…” Tenma sighs. He looks back up and then down at Taichi (damn his height!). “I’ve never written back to them?”

Taichi stares at Tenma for a second or so before shrieking. “You’ve never written back to your soulmate?!”

“Oh my god, Taichi, shut up—”

“That’s so awful…” Taichi wipes away a fake tear. “Never writing to your soulmate...I can’t imagine how she must feel. You’re awful.”

Tenma growls, whips his head around, and then leans into Taichi’s ear with his hands around his mouth. “Dumbass,” he half-whispers and half-snarls. “I’m gay. My soulmate’s a guy.”

Taichi blinks. “Oh!”

Tenma pulls back and rubs the back of his neck. “I really didn’t wanna have to tell you like this…”

“But still!” Taichi pulls at the ginger’s sleeve. “Imagine what it must feel like to be him! The Tenma Sumeragi is his soulmate and he has no idea!”

“Not so loud!” Tenma cries. “Besides, I’m a celebrity. I can’t write on myself, my skin’ll die. I have to put on makeup because he writes to me, like, every single day.”

Taichi frowns. “He writes to you every day? And you don’t answer?”

“I just explained that I _can’t_ ,” Tenma says, sighing. He glares at Taichi. “How do you even know your soulmate is a girl if they’ve never talked back?”

Taichi tries to think about it. “Uhh…” He rubs his chin in thought. “I dunno. I’m straight, so.”

“Oh.” Tenma’s shoulders slump at this for whatever reason. “Yeah.”

Why does it feel so bad for Taichi to say that?

“Um…” Taichi racks his brain for a distraction. “I’ll race you to the gate!” Taichi calls, already starting to sprint. If there's one thing he can one-up Tenma in, it's agility.

Behind him, Tenma calls, “Hey! Cheater!” and Taichi laughs as he hears Tenma’s footsteps against the pavement catching up to him.

Hello.

In the smallest print possible, Taichi watches a word in red ink blossom onto the inside of his arm. It’s the middle of class and his teacher is going on about tangents and...seconds, he thinks, at the chalkboard.

There’s no way this is real.

HELLO, he scratches on his palm in blue ink. Is this my soulmate?!?!

Yes. I’m sorry for not writing all this time  
I’m a model. I shouldn’t write on my skin

That explains...a lot. Seventeen years a lot. Its ok, he writes. How r u

There’s a bit of a pause. 

Sorry...Im in class

Me 2!  
Btw, I saw your notes from a while back  
I go to Ouka High too

He jots a little smiley face next to his words.

Oh.  
Haha...Thats funny

y?

Nothing. ...  
My friend’s soulmate goes here too

Rly?!?! Thts crazy  
We should all have a double da

Taichi pauses. That’s probably way too forward, isn’t it?

 ~~We should all have a double da~~ what year are you in

3

Omg, me too

:)

It’s the cutest smiley face Taichi’s ever seen and decidedly feminine. The eyes are tiny circles instead of dots; he’s seen some of his girl classmates do that.

Our conversations getting long.  
need to go and wash it off + cover it up, bye

why cant u keep it

model stuff...will get rumors spread if I’m seen talking 2 soulmate

I c. talk l8r?

Talk later :)

“Nanao, can you explain number five to the class?” Taichi’s teacher calls. “Or are you too busy talking?”

He jumps out of his chair. “Uh…” He glances around. Weirdly enough, Tenma is outside in the hallway, walking in the direction of the lockers and bathrooms. He spots Taichi staring through the window of the door and waves.

“Well, Nanao?”

Taichi gulps and his eyes land on his teacher. “Sorry…”

His teacher sighs. “No more writing in class,” she reprimands. “Can anyone help him out?”

One of his classmates shoots their hand up, and once they stand, Taichi flops back into his chair with a huff. He pulls his sleeve back down and tries to listen in on whatever the rest of the class seems so interested in, but his mind won’t shut up about the way his soulmate writes her Gs.

Her handwriting isn’t delicate like a lady’s; instead, it’s controlled and strong—not exactly neat, but consistent. It’s practiced. If she’s a model, she probably writes signatures a lot, right? Taichi dreams about what hers must look like. In a class focused on circles, Taichi daydreams about other shapes and their nuances in her penmanship. Does she add a heart after her name? Or is it minimalistic? What about a star?

He needs to tell Tenma about this.

“She’s a model,” Taichi recalls dreamily as he and Tenma set their textbooks down on the living room table. 

“Uh-huh.” Tenma nods as he scrolls through his phone.

Taichi frowns. “Are you even listening to me?”

Tenma hums, still staring at his phone.

Taichi sighs. Thanks, dude. He scans over the room for the TV remote, lighting up when he spots it on the kitchen table. When he grabs it, he turns on the display and it begins showing a popular drama channel. Taichi recognizes it; he watches it himself sometimes. He used to obsess over it back in his first year at Ouka. It felt like Tenma was in every single drama he watched. He remembers dreading to find his classmate in high definition on the screen; seeing him was some sick new form of torture. He knows how hard he works now because he’s seen the effort he gives to balance his career alongside the troupe. Two years forward, he feels proud, seeing Tenma inside the TV. The familiarity of his voice playing through the speakers is wistful but comforting.

“Are you in this one?” Taichi turns his head to look at his classmate sitting on the couch furthest from him.

Tenma finally looks up, his eyes darting between Taichi and the screen. “Oh,” he gasps. “Yeah. I didn’t know they were re-airing it.”

Taichi smiles and goes back to sit down across from Tenma. Their books lay on the coffee table dividing them, forgotten. The old fabric of the sofa itches at the back of Taichi’s neck where he leans back.

“Hiii!” Kazunari walks into the living room with his laptop in one arm and sketchbook in the other. “Tenten! Taicchan! Whatcha up to?” His vision flickers towards the TV. “What’s this?”

“Kazu-kun!” Taichi jumps up from his seat and runs over to give the blond a hug.

“Taicchan!” Kazunari places his belongings on the couch before extending his arms wide open for the teen to jump into.

Tenma looks up at the commotion, his nose wrinkling. “Hey, Kazunari. Taichi put on a drama. We’re gonna study.”

“Ten-chan won’t listen to me about my soulmate!” Taichi sobs into Kazunari’s chest.

Kazunari perks up. “Oh? You’ve never told me about them! What’s the tea?”

“What happened to her not talking to you? Like, ever?” Tenma asks from the couch.

Taichi pulls away from Kazunari to stick his tongue out at Tenma. “She wrote to me in class today!”

“Wow,” Tenma applauds, sarcasm dripping from his tone. He smirks and crosses his legs. “I talked to my soulmate in class too.”

Taichi glares at him. “You’re a big meanie. It doesn’t count. I hope she knows you smell and that you’re a stupid doodoo man.”

“H-huh?!” Tenma bites back. “I bet your soulmate thinks you’re super creepy and that you smell like farts because you kept writing to her!”

“Whoa there!” Kazunari yells over the two of them. When they both turn to face him in shock, he flushes and scratches the back of his neck. “Hey, let’s not fight, K? Why do you think you both smell...Here, tell Papi about your soulmates, both of you,” he says as he shuffles himself and Taichi onto the sofa, seated opposite of Tenma. “Tenten, how is he?”

Tenma smiles, this time more happily and less I-ghost-the-person-I’m-bound-to-by-the-universe-y. “He seemed fine,” he replies. “Understood why I can’t write to him.”

“Aww, you’re baby,” Kazunari gushes. He looks down at Taichi, who’s laying on Kazunari’s lap. “HBU?”

“My soulmate’s famous!” Taichi claims.

Kazunari’s eyes widen. “For real?”

“Yeah,” Taichi confirms with a nod. “She said we can talk later. I’ll ask her if she’s been in any magazines.”

“My soulmate goes to our school,” Tenma cuts in. “He’s in our year.”

“Hey, no fair!” It looks as though Taichi is about to start growling. “Stop trying to one-up me! Mine is too!”

“Wait. Wait—Uh, hold on a sec,” Kazunari interrupts, arms waving. “Let me get this straight, both of your soulmates go to O High?”

“Yeah,” Tenma and Taichi say in unison.

“And they’re both in their third year.”

“Yup.”

“Taicchan, you said yours is a celebrity?”

“Well, I don’t know if she’s _famous_ famous, but yeah,” Taichi replies.

“Wow!” Kazunari exclaims. “What a coincidence! Look at the time, I gotta go check my timeline, seeyouguyslaterbye!” He jumps off of the sofa, snatches his things and runs back to his room.

“Huh,” Tenma says once the dust settles. “Wonder what’s up with him.”

“Weird.” Taichi nods. He sits up and grabs his notebook, trying to ignore Tenma at the foreground of the scene playing on the screen. He looks really great and it’s kind of distracting. “Can we go over circles? I wasn’t paying attention today.”

Tenma pales. “Me neither.”

That night, Taichi lays restless and awake in his loft bed. He’s already used all of his stamina in his games and he couldn’t go knocking on Banri’s or Itaru’s door for some digital stimulus at—he checks his phone—1:24 in the morning. He slips it in his pocket and gets moving.

With Omi in the bed next to him and Sakyo next door, Taichi makes sure his feet are silent as he climbs down his ladder. As much as he loves Omi, he doesn’t want to be the victim of his doting this late, and Sakyo...is Sakyo. When he gets to the ground safely and silently, he creeps over to their table and grabs a pen that he’d left there earlier. It’s blue, because Tsumugi said something about it helping you remember things...or something? He can’t really remember, but now all of his pens are blue, yet he’s still struggling with Geometry.

He goes over to his sofa and flops down on it—quietly!—before he begins jotting down a message on his knee.

u up?

There’s no immediate answer. Taichi expected this; it’s not like his soulmate’s sleep schedule is as messed up as his is. Girls go to bed early, right? He’s in the middle of pulling out his phone again when he sees a note bloom on his thigh.

yea

Taichi grins and presses the tip of his pen back to his thigh.

I wasnt actually expecting that LOL  
y?! u should sleep

I was about to check on you  
lmao

The “lmao” is delayed, an afterthought, and it makes the corners of Taichi’s eyes crinkle.

haha  
sooo wat r u up 2

Nothing much just can’t sleep  
S

‘S’? It looks like his soulmate is still thinking about what to write, so he waits.

Sorry...about not writing. ever  
I dunno  
I never really let myself into this kind of stuff

The marks come slower and lighter as she writes an apology. She seems really nice. Taichi can’t help but forgive her immediately; he likes to think he doesn’t hold grudges.

Honestly itz fine  
im sorry you mustve had to use so much makeup

Im used to it :) it’s fine I dont mind

If Taichi actually has a soulmate, he needs to indulge himself with one selfish wish.

Sorry this is rly forward uhmmm  
we should like  
totally meet up sometime  
I mean, weve prolly seen each other in the halls already and all that

thats tru  
I’m up for it  
Should we meet at school or somewhere else

lets try somewhere else?  
if thats ok with you….!!!

Yea ofc thats ok :)  
Im looking forward to meeting you. I don’t hate you or anything  
sry if I came off that way...I wanna make up 4 all the silence  
yknow?

!! yeah! you dont owe me anything btw  
i’m glad ur open 2 meeting up  
let me handle the deets and Ill hit u up l8r?

K!  
Soo, do you watch any dramas?

“Are you okay?” Tenma asks through a bite of omelet. He swallows and snaps his chopsticks in front of his friend’s face. “This is, like, the tenth time you’ve dozed off in the past hour. And we’re eating lunch.”

Taichi blinks himself awake. The rooftop population of Ouka High is surprisingly small for a relatively warm autumn day like today. The lack of chatter around him and the clouds overhead must be lulling him to sleep. “Y-yeah! I’m great!” He rubs at his eyelids. “Just...did some extra studying last night.”

Tenma scoffs. “That’s totally a lie. Udagawa told me you were drawing all of Lit.”

Taichi glares. “Thanks,” he mutters. He tries and fails to hold back a yawn.

Tenma crosses his arms in satisfaction.

“Okay, okay! Geez,” Taichi cries. “I wasn’t even up that late.”

Tenma goes back to his bento. “What were you doing?”

“I’m not gonna tell you that!” He ignores the soreness of his leg.

Tenma chuckles and smirks. “I’ve gone days without sleep before when my schedule for filming was packed,” he boasts. “This is nothing to me.”

“Huh?” Taichi takes a bite of rice. “Did you stay up late too? What were _you_ doing?”

Tenma flushes. “I’m not telling you that,” he echoes.

Taichi smiles knowingly into his bento. “Okay, perv.”

Tenma begins sputtering. “W-what the hell are you—I—dude! I’m not—I wouldn’t—ugh.” He moves his focus from Taichi back to his lunch. “Asshole.”

Taichi giggles. He eats a few more morsels of rice before an idea pops into his head. “Hey, Ten-chan.”

“What do you want from me?” Tenma asks warily, scooting away.

“We should…” He leans into Tenma’s bubble, their faces so close that they’re almost touching.

Tenma gulps, blush still visible on his cheeks. “W-what?”

Taichi pulls away and claps his hands together. “I bet I can meet my soulmate before you meet yours!”

“Haah? What—” Tenma stops himself and is silent for a moment before continuing, “Oh. Okay. Fifty bucks.”

Taichi smirks. It’s a big wager, but Tenma is, like, rich, so he’s not that surprised. The question is: how much money could he get out of him? He’d already planned their da— _meet up_ last night. “You seem confident! Seventy.”

Tenma blinks. “You too. Sixty.” He cringes, adding under his breath, “I’d feel really bad.”

Taichi nods. “Sixty.”

They shake on it.

Taichi shows up an hour early to his date. At first, it had been only thirty minutes earlier than when his date said she’d be there, but fifteen minutes into waiting he’d gone to the bathroom; as he was washing his hands, he looked up and saw the words “I’ll be 30 mins late. im so sry. shoot scheduled w/o me knowing. ill try to be quick” scratched into the skin below his collarbone.

(Collarbone. Taichi waves the thought out of his head, but his blush doesn’t disappear for a while.)

He sits by the front of the cafe he’d chosen near the window, watching for any of his classmates outside. His table is high up and his feet dangle off of the stool, far from touching the ground. He’s finishing up a mango boba smoothie while playing a mobile game that Itaru had recommended to him when the bell hanging on the front door jingles, and the person who walks in is absolutely _not_ his soulmate. The furthest from her that it could be, actually.

“Ten-chan!” Taichi shrieks. He slaps his hand over his mouth as soon as the name comes out—mostly because of his volume, but also because for some reason, it felt more like a greeting than anything else. Why would he be greeting Tenma? Why is he here?

The ginger turns his head and pulls his facemask up, coolly walking over to the redhead before he pulls the other stool at the table out—Taichi had picked a two-seater—and removes his sunglasses. Even though Taichi could recognize his ridiculous getup when he walked in, the amethyst gaze that meets him is, without a doubt, his Tenma.

“What the hell are you doing here?” It’s muffled, but the words reach Taichi nonetheless.

“I could ask the same thing to you!” Taichi puts his now-empty boba cup down and crosses his arms. “Are you ambushing me?!”

“Ambushing _you_? You’re the one crashing my date, Taichi!” Tenma fiddles with the cuffs of his jacket. “Did you, like, look at my leg in my sleep or something? Weirdo.”

“If anyone at this table’s a weirdo, it’s you,” Taichi snaps back. Oddly enough, he feels a lot less on edge now that his fr— _rival_ , they’re rivals right now, is sitting with him. He checks his phone. “She should be here by now,” he notices with a frown.

“He said he was gonna be here like, thirty minutes ago,” Tenma says. He adjusts his mask and then stands up. “I’m, uh, gonna go get something to drink. But, uh. Let’s wait together?” he offers.

Taichi sits for a moment in fake ponder, but he nods with a grin.

He goes back to his game, and in a few minutes, Tenma returns with a grande-sized coffee. Taichi glances up from his phone and shoots a quick smile at him. They don’t talk for a few minutes; Taichi goes back to playing his game while Tenma sips on his beverage. Outside, a sea of passive onlookers walks by as the sun lowers in the sky.

“Hey…” Tenma cuts through the silence. He pulls his baseball cap down, obscuring more of his forehead. “Hey, do you...God, don’t get mad at me, okay?”

Taichi frowns, but he replies, “Okay.”

His face is almost completely covered, but below his eyes, Taichi can spot a trace of blush. “Do you think it’s...we could be. We could be each other’s soulmates.”

Taichi drops his phone on the table. He looks up, startled. “Ten-chan…” he murmurs.

“Don’t—” Tenma looks down. “Don’t look at me like that. I...Doesn’t the stuff Kazunari said kind of make sense? That’s too much of a coincidence. And besides, um, he kind of acts…” Tenma trails off.

“He kind of acts…?”

Tenma shakes his head quickly. “Nevermind. But...wait. You can’t say anything until I’m finished. Please.”

Taichi nods.

“Look...Wow, I’m really gonna do this, aren’t I?” Tenma brushes a lock of hair that managed to escape his hat with his fingers. “The first time I met you, I thought it was you. It was at the filming for—for that one drama, right? You were an extra.”

Taichi can’t see the expression that Tenma is making, not with all of his face covered up like that. He hums.

“I thought it was you.” Tenma sighs. “When you showed up to the Autumn Troupe audition, I thought, ‘God, he’s gotta be it’. I should’ve known you were the guy from back then. I...I really wanted it to be you, alright? I like being around you. I like having a rival to compete against. My birthday last year...I dunno, when you called me your ‘lifetime rival’—doesn’t that sound kind of soulmate-y to you?” At that, Tenma shoots up and fixes his facemask before waving his hands in front of himself. “Th—This isn’t a confession or anything! I just...I really needed to get that off my chest.”

“I hated you,” Taichi admits.

Tenma’s eyes widen. “Wait, seriously?”

“Yeah,” Taichi responds. “You had everything I didn’t: charisma, popularity, um, the ability to be liked, maybe? You were like, my inferiority complex wrapped up into a five-foot space.”

“Taichi…”

“I don’t—I don’t hate you anymore! I know I have people there for me now, and—and I know Ten-chan’s actually a really nice guy! He’s a really great stage actor, plus he’s actually kind of stupid like I am...I feel proud to be your rival!” Taichi looks down. “I just...I dunno. I’m sorry.”

“Did you just call me stupid? Uh—anyway, no, I’m sorry,” Tenma says. “You...I didn’t think about the possibility that you could’ve hated me. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to pity me, Ten-chan,” Taichi insists.

“Still, you deserve better.”

In his mind, a silver screen fantasy plays of him and Tenma a decade into the future; they’re standing together as a pair at center stage, co-leads, and there are matching tattoos drawn with craft markers on their arms. For a second, Taichi is standing with Tenma in the spotlight.

There’s so much Taichi wants to say at that moment about how Tenma’s enough and how he wants to be enough for Tenma. He knows his new urge to be enough isn’t fueled by a sense of inferiority, but rather a feeling of being incomplete. It’s enough just to be with him; he isn’t asking for anyone else.

For a moment, he wishes for him to be his soulmate, too.

Instead of addressing his thoughts, he blurts out, “I’m straight,” and suddenly Taichi is teleported from his curtain call back to a no-name cafe in Veludo Way.

Tenma flinches. “Uh...yeah. I know.”

“I! I mean—” Taichi slumps his shoulders. “Sorry. Do you...do you still…”

Tenma puts his sunglasses back on. “I don’t think he’s coming,” Tenma mumbles. “Let’s go home. I’ll call Igawa.”

“Okay,” Taichi replies.

They leave the cafe a few minutes later and sure enough, Tenma’s Porsche is waiting by the curb. Tenma calls shotgun and Taichi sits in the back, looking out the window for the entire ride.

When they get home, Tenma separates himself from the redhead as soon as possible. “I’m gonna practice,” he explains before promptly locking himself in the lower-level practice room. Taichi lets him go. He doesn’t wanna be around himself right now either.

He considers venting to Omi about his current dilemma, but weirdly enough, Taichi’s legs take him to the balcony. He had considered the more comfortable lounge, but some of the Summer Troupe was huddled there, taking turns looking at Kazunari’s phone. There’s a slight breeze and the sun is low in the sky. Taichi doesn’t come up here often because it’s almost always occupied, but for once he finds himself in complete solitude, save for a few cars below him.

He sits cross-legged on the ground as he gazes at the horizon. His mind is spinning with countless thoughts, most of which are about Tenma, unsurprisingly. His no-show soulmate is at the bottom of his priorities right now, if he’s being completely honest; he could’ve just ruined his friendship with Tenma permanently. Bros before hoes, right?

He sits and listens to some birds’ harmonies for a few minutes before the glass door behind him slides open.

He whips his head around. “T—”

It’s Banri. “Is there seriously not a single vacant room in this dorm?” he asks with a frown.

Taichi raises his eyebrows. “Huh?” Despite the bizarre question, he still smiles. Banri is good at giving advice. Sometimes.

Banri walks out and shuts the door behind him. He crouches next to the younger teen. “I was gonna practice, but Hyodo’s taking a nap in our room right now and I don’t wanna w—...he’s grinding his teeth and it’s super annoying.” He runs a hand through his hair. “So, uh, I was gonna see if any of the practice rooms were free, but Winter Troupe’s still practicing up here and...Tenma locked himself in the other one. Is he okay? Didn’t y’all come home together?”

Taichi cringes. He’s all alone downstairs then. “Um, yeah, he kind of needed some space…”

Banri hisses. “Ooh, so you turned him down,” he states.

“What?”

“‘S’nothing,” Banri replies. He sits down and wacks Taichi on the head with a script. “You were gonna meet your soulmate today, right? How’d it go?”

The smile disappears from Taichi’s face. He glances down. “Um, well…”

“C’mon, tell me,” Banri insists as he gives him a little nudge. “What’s he like?”

“He?” Taichi looks back up and makes eye contact with the blond. “I’m straight!”

Banri stares at Taichi.

“Wah,” Taichi exhales as he flops onto his back. “What do you mean, ‘he’?”

“Wait, are you seriously—are you seriously straight?” Banri leans over Taichi. “Heterosexual. Into boobs. You like chicks?”

“What?!” Taichi fumes. “Yes! I literally—I’m like, the straightest guy here! I’m all about girls! If you look up ‘straight’ in the dictionary, it comes up with a picture of me,” he whines.

“You talk like you’re a closeted gay guy who has never met a straight man in his life,” Banri tells him. He looks dangerously close to laughing and Taichi isn’t sure how to feel about it. “I legit thought you were gay or maybe bi. I caught you checking out Hyodo’s butt, like, at least fifteen times in the first week of practice.”

“I was looking at his back!”

“Same thing!”

Taichi sighs. He brings to mind the first week that Autumn Troupe had gathered to prepare for their first play. Now that it’s been brought to his attention, he did—and still does, truthfully—kind of find Juza attractive beyond a heterosexual level. That doesn’t mean he’d date guys though, right? Carnal urges do not equal romantic attraction.

He thinks about Tenma’s lips on his and suddenly the slight breeze is gone. His face is on fire.

“You’re totally thinking about kissing dudes right now,” Banri guesses.

Taichi shoots up. “I—I am not thinking about him!”

A few cars pass below the balcony. A flock of birds land on an electricity cable next to the dormitory building.

“Taichi.” Banri smirks. It’s all teeth and terrifying, to be frank; Juza was right all of those times he called him a fox. 

The boy looks around frantically, looking for an escape from Banri that’s less lethal than jumping off right now. “Look at the time! I gotta check if Winter Troupe’s done so I can get some tutoring in—”

“Taichi,” Banri repeats. “Who is ‘him’?”

“Noo,” Taichi wails. “It’s nobody!”

“Is it Hyodo?” Wow. Jumping off is moving up pretty high on the list of escape routes right now.

“No!” Taichi denies.

Banri’s grin grows wider. “Is it his lil bro?”

“What? No,” Taichi responds, this time a little bit more sure of himself.

“Oh, okay,” Banri replies, leaning back. Taichi lets out a sigh of relief. “So it’s Tenma.”

Taichi freezes. “N-no. No, it’s not.”

Banri laughs heartily and pats Taichi’s shoulder. “This ain’t Museum Statue, bud. It’s not like I’m gonna tell him,” he says. “You’re gonna do that.”

“What?”

Banri goes digging in his pocket and pulls out a blue ballpoint pen. It’s one of the cheaper ones with a clear barrel and a brass-colored tip that Izumi buys in bulk; she keeps them in the practice rooms for writing notes on scripts. “I was gonna use this for my script,” he says, “but here. Just talk to him.”

Taichi takes the pen hesitantly before he asks, “Wait, what do you mean?”

Banri winks and slowly gets up. “Ouch, my knee popped.” He hovers his index finger in front of his lips. “I’m gonna go back and check if Hyodo’s still asleep. You really should just talk to him about it. He’s pretty emo.”

Banri leaves, closing the door behind him, and suddenly Taichi is alone again.

 _Just talk to him_? With a pen? As far as Taichi knows, Taichi is still locked behind the practice room doors.

He sighs. He knows what Banri is insinuating and he won’t buy it.

Writing to his soulmate _is_ a pretty good idea, he supposes. It’s been straight radio silence ever since the last note about her—his?—impromptu modeling job, so he should probably at least check in to make sure she’s okay.

where were you

...Okay, not the best message, but if she answers, then at least Taichi will get confirmation that she’s fine. He writes it on the back of his left hand. He needs the visibility; his hand is sweaty and the pen is cheap, so he’s barely getting any ink down.

what do you mean  
where were you

Huh?

wdym  
did you get the location wrong?

no.. I didnt  
I like  
triple checked

did we miss each other…  
i was in the front of the cafe

He doodles a tiny sobbing emoji next to his message to get the point across.

I  
…  
me too

???  
well whatever  
I guess I missed you. I was kind of distracted…  
Im sorry

no its  
im sorry for getting a job the day of  
I honestly didn’t know, my manager scheduled it w/o me

Its ok I understand  
another time?

yes I’ll make it up to you

Dw about it  
Well

I’m so sorry

A pang of guilt shoots through Taichi’s chest. He was too caught up in Tenma earlier to see if any of his female classmates had entered the shop. This is, in a way, completely his fault.

Let’s just keep getting to know each other

20 Qs?

Sure  
u can go first =)

ok uh  
fav color?

Actually I like magenta  
Cyan’s a pretty close 2rd though

Taichi thinks for a moment.

and orange, he adds.

…  
2rd?  
Turd?

WAIT I MEANT 2ND  
NOOOO

LMAO

hbu? =(

I...dont rlly have a fav  
I like brightish colors I guess? Not neon though  
Actually I like magenta too

omg really?  
why

It takes a few seconds for more writing to show up. By this point, they’ve moved onto their legs for space.

It’s my turn dummy

WAHH

lmao  
what class are you in

3-D  
….

Oh lol  
I’m in 3-C, ur good

oh thank god

My friend is in your class.

? whats her name

?? Its a guy  
And not telling

ok!  
r u trying to make me jealous..

Nooo  
that was your question

SERIOUSLY

…  
What’s your name?

This is it. This is the point where she finds out who he is...Taichi can’t rid his heart of the anxiety. What if she already knows him and thinks he’s lame? Wait, can soulmates think their soulmate is lame? He takes in a deep breath and writes down the characters for his name.

Taichi nanao  
what about you?

Taichi waits for what seems like minutes for a response, but wherever he looks, there isn’t any more red handwriting. He caps his pen. So that’s it, huh?

He lies down on his back. The sun is dipping under the horizon. It’s quiet.

Not for long, though. The sound of heavy footsteps, like someone is running, plays behind him, and suddenly the door is slid and slammed open.

Ignoring the rough flooring of the balcony, Taichi rolls onto his belly and faces the door. Standing there panting is Tenma.

“Taichi,” he calls, hoarse, patting down his pockets. “Fuck. Do you still have a pen?”

“Um, what? Yeah?” He grabs the ballpoint pen from the ground and holds it up. “Here. Are you okay? I’m really sorry—”

“Don’t move,” Tenma interrupts as he grabs the pen. Taichi is confused, but he obeys, his arm still upright. Tenma uncaps the pen and tosses the cap over the railing.

“Hey,” Taichi scolds. “This isn’t mine—”

“Look,” Tenma rasps as he...he’s writing on himself. “Look at the inside of your arm.”

Taichi does.

Tenma Sumeragi

It’s his signature, written perfectly in blue ink. Taichi’s seen it enough times passed around his classmates to know.

Taichi's soulmate doesn't add a heart or a star after his signature. It's minimalistic to the point of almost being illegible—the characters are so hastily written that Taichi almost misreads it, probably due to the fact that he writes his signature often. _Very_ often.

“Taichi,” Tenma repeats himself. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?” Taichi gets up and looks over himself. Their notes are scattered everywhere over his skin. He can’t see any on Tenma, his sleeves and sweatpants too long for any conversations to show. Did he wear those clothes on purpose? “Don’t say that.”

“You don’t have to go out with me, if that’s what you wanted to do with your soulmate,” Tenma rambles. “I know you—you don’t like guys, right? I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to.”

Taichi smiles. “Tenma,” he whispers.

“Yeah?”

“Kiss me?” he asks.

His friend, rival, _whatever_ —he frowns. “What?”

Taichi walks up to him and cups his face with his hands. He leans in, ghosting Tenma’s lips with his own. “This cool?” he murmurs.

Tenma’s hands are frozen in the air for a few moments before he decides to rest them on Taichi’s hips. Taichi feels safe here. “More than cool,” Tenma mumbles back.

Taichi closes the gap. Their first kiss is a lot gentler than what he imagined twenty or so minutes ago. It’s...It’s like they’re in a drama. Tenma is cautious, hesitant, refusing to go any further than what Taichi has already opened to him. The sunset shines at them from beyond the edge of the balcony, wrapping them in golden light.

It slowly becomes obvious that Tenma is, needless to say, a lot better at kissing than Taichi. He accidentally clacks their teeth together and pulls away suddenly, flustered.

“What?” Tenma drawls, lips swollen and cheeks pink.

Taichi looks away as he snakes his arms around the taller boy’s neck. “You’re a cheater,” he accuses. “You have practice because you kiss so much on TV.”

“I don’t like it,” Tenma says. “I only kiss girls in shows. It’s so... _weird_.”

“Oh yeah?” Taichi’s line of vision comes back and he is suddenly made aware of, hoo boy, collarbone presence. “Wait, can I look?”

“What? At my boobs?” Tenma pulls Taichi closer.

The redhead pulls one of his hands back and peeks inside the collar of Tenma’s shirt. The note about the random shoot is still there.

“Wow,” Taichi whispers. “How’d you even write that on yourself?”

“Uh, normally? You read it in a mirror, right?”

“I see.” That doesn’t make sense at all, but Taichi leans back in. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Tenma parrots.

It’s only them at that moment. Taichi didn’t know that this could be a reality half an hour ago, but here he is, attached to his—are they boyfriends now? He is attached to his boyfriend. Hehe, that’s fun to think about.

...And then the moment ends; the sun has completely set with the sound of clapping behind them. Tenma turns around (dang it) and releases himself from Taichi’s embrace (dang it!).

“Congrats,” Yuki applauds. “Took you long enough. Can you, like, close the door? And move away from it? It’s made of glass. You know that, right?”

“I—!” Tenma shrieks. “Were you watching us?!”

Yuki looks like he’s about to shrivel up from disgust alone. “No, that’s disgusting. Why would I watch you do _that_ for over ten minutes? Besides, did you forget about the rest of us in the lounge? We all had to hear that.” He then apparently decides that’s the end of the conversation because he whirls around and walks back into the lounge. Taichi can hear the ruffling of fabric, and then Yuki reappears for a moment with Kazunari, Muku, and Kumon following, just to leave in the direction of the stairwell. As Kazunari passes, he shoots them a thumbs up with a wink. Kumon and Muku wear a matching blush and look away from the pair.

Tenma slowly turns back around. His expression is dark. “We should go back inside.”

“Yeah,” Taichi agrees with a nod.

Tenma moves first and gets a foot into the doorway before Taichi pulls at his sleeve. “Huh?”

Taichi looks down, his other hand playing with the hem of his sweater. “I’m glad...I’m glad you’re my soulmate,” he confesses. “I’m sorry about everything, Ten-chan.”

Tenma smiles ever so slightly and turns fully towards his soulmate. “I’m glad you’re mine too, Taichi.”

Taichi looks up. His gaze turns serious. “Does that mean the bet’s off?”

“...I forgot about that,” Tenma admits. He rubs his chin. “No.”

“What?!”

“If you just realized you liked guys, like, a year ago, I wouldn’t have had to pine over you for a year while I thought you were straight.” Tenma flicks Taichi’s forehead.

“Oww,” Taichi whines. “Sowwy.”

“Just repay me with a good date instead.” Tenma turns back around and walks inside.

With a smile, Taichi follows him.

**Author's Note:**

> taichi asks tenma why he told him he was a model and not an actor. what does tenma say, you may ask? i don't know, thats why its not in the fic  
> i really, really wish this was longer, but i do not have the attention span to write something that long and complete it. it wrote half of this over the course of a week and then i wrote the last 3k in one sitting. i went to bed at 6am that night.  
> taiten is genuinely soooo cute i really hope this made you like them more :^)  
> are there even any other soulmate AUs in the a3 tag.... guys wake up
> 
> you can find me on twitter @ godzatrio :) please talk to me about taiten <3


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